“Easy Homemade Pretzel Bites”

Please oh please do not hate me after I share this next recipe with you. You see, I saw a few “pretzel bite” recipes floating around the web and by the time you were able to say “hello mall pretzels!”, I had already tried 2 different versions. Tonight’s experiment made the 3rd version and quite possibly the best version.

I’m sorry folks, but they are addicting. No lies.

I imagine there is some sort of food rehab for those who enjoy food this much.

I tried, I failed, I found the secret…

For the first try, I used freshly made dough folks. Freshly made pizza dough. Results? They were good, they were realllly good but something was missing. What the heck was it? The second try yielded different results, I used the Simply Rustic French Bread from Pillsbury. Results? Eh. Probably not going to try that again. For the third try, I used Crusty French Loaf by Pillsbury. Results? SUCCESS. OH YES!

The winner:

Hey, did you know you can even make a bread bowl with that crusty french bread? Check it out! Going to try that next.

Now that I’ve discovered the secret to these delicious bites of salted, buttered dough… let me explain what you need and how to make them.

Easy Homemade Pretzel Bites

Note: By the second time you’ve made this, you could probably do it with your eyes closed..

…but please don’t.

You will need:

– Crusty French Loaf by Pillsbury *seen above (note: 1 can makes about 20 bites. Double up if you have no self control.)
– 1 stick of Unsalted Butter
– Kosher Salt (note: I tried sea salt, results were meh. Too salty!)

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375F. Take the dough out of the can and place it on a cutting board. Does not have to be floured. Do NOT roll out the dough, leave it as is! Cut the dough length wise (from left to right) to make 2 long strips, then cut each strip into small little pieces.. like this:

Don’t forget to roll those pieces into balls!

Step 2

Put some water in a pot and bring it to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil, take the stick of butter out of the fridge to soften. Once the water is boiling, take the balls of dough and drop them in the water.. I’d say about 10 at a time. Roll them around in the water for about 45 seconds to a minute.

Step 3

Using a slatted spoon (or a spoon with holes), remove the balls of dough and place them on a layer of paper towels. (note: I sprayed the top paper towel with cooking spray so they wouldn’t stick)

Step 4

Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray, carefully move balls of dough from towels to cookie sheet. Place balls of dough about 1/2 inch apart. They won’t expand too much at this point. Bake at 375F for 25 minutes or until golden brown on bottom and the tops are not doughy.

Like this:

Step 5

Once baked, roll the bites in melted butter before transferring them to a plate/bowl. Sprinkle with kosher salt to taste and try not to eat them before your husband and kids have a chance to enjoy.

Ahem.

Please make them! If you do, will you post the picture on our facebook page? Oh and don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I totally warned you.

* You might notice I tagged this post as Kid-Friendly. Let your kiddo roll out the balls of dough and they will be just as excited as you when these bites come out of the oven! Heck, they’ll be excited anyway… but it’s fun. Family time!